USGS CoreCast

A worldwide earthquake drill, known as the Great ShakeOut, will be held on Thursday, October 17 at 10:17AM local time. The drill is your chance to practice how to protect yourself in the event of an earthquake. Mike Blanpied, the Associate Program Coordinator for the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program, and Mark Benthien, the Director of Communication, Education and Outreach with the Southern California Earthquake Center and coordinator of the Great ShakeOut worldwide, have come to discuss the importance of earthquake preparedness.

On April 30, 2013, USGS released an updated assessment of the Bakken Formation of North Dakota and Montana as part of the National Oil and Gas Assessment. We are joined by USGS Energy Resources Program Coordinator Brenda Pierce and Bakken Assessment Lead Stephanie Gaswirth to learn more about the assessment itself; why it was performed; and some context for the Bakken Formation.

The next Great ShakeOut earthquake drill will be held on October 18, 2012. During the drill, participants will ‘drop, cover, and hold on’ to practice how to protect themselves during an earthquake.

To give us some details on ShakeOut, we are joined by two guests. First is Mike Blanpied, who is the Associate Program Coordinator for the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program. Second is Mark Benthien, who is the Director of Communication, Education and Outreach with the Southern California Earthquake Center and also coordinates the Great ShakeOut worldwide.

A year after the August 23, 2011 Virginia earthquake, USGS geologist Dr. Mike Blanpied discusses whether a similar event could occur again in the region in the near future, and in an earthquake, what you can do to stay stay safe.

Space weather can have important consequences for our lives, such as interference with radio communication, GPS systems, electric power grids, the operation and orientation of satellites, oil and gas drilling, and even air travel as high altitude pilots and astronauts can be subjected to enhanced levels of radiation. It is also during magnetic storms that beautiful aurora borealis — or "northern lights" — are visible at high latitudes. The USGS Geomagnetism Program monitors variations in the Earth's magnetic field through a network of 14 ground-based observatories around the United States and its territories, providing data in real-time to a variety of customers.

Four previously undiscovered photos of undocumented Russian Crown Jewels were recently discovered in the USGS library. The photos appear in a 1922 album called ‘Russian Diamond Fund ’ that was uncovered in the rare book room of the library.